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Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials, Resilient Infrastructure
Academic Faculty

Lauren Stewart

Professor, Williams Family Professor , Associate Chair for Graduate Programs, Director, Structural Engineering and Materials Laboratory
Email Address
lauren.stewart@ce.gatech.edu
Telephone
404.385.1919
Office Building
Mason
Office Room Number
3141A
Biography

Lauren K. Stewart is the Williams Family Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Programs in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the design, testing, and analysis of structures subjected to extreme and high-rate loading—including blast, shock, and impact—with recent work on mass timber systems, ultra-high performance concrete, and the residual capacity of structural connections. She leads the Structural Engineering & Materials Laboratory and has been recognized with honors such as the Distinguished UCSD Structural Engineering Alumni Award (2021), Engineering Georgia Top 100 Influential Women (2019), and selection as a New Voice in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018).

Research

Force protection and resilience of civil infrastructure; experimental methods for high-rate loading; blast and impact effects on structural components and connections; residual capacity and damage quantification; mass timber (CLT) performance under ballistic and impulsive loads; development and application of ultra-high performance concrete and advanced materials for protective design.

Education
Ph.D. in Structural EngineeringUniversity of California, San Diego2010
M.S. in Structural EngineeringUniversity of California, San Diego2006
B.S. in Structural EngineeringUniversity of California, San Diego2004
Teaching

Structural engineering and mechanics (deformable bodies, structural analysis and design); materials and laboratory instruction; multi-hazard design and analysis; innovation-oriented courses such as Origami Engineering and global/experiential education.

Distinctions & Awards
  • Structural Engineers Association of Georgia Engineering Excellence Award (2024)
  • Distinguished UCSD Structural Engineering Alumni Award (2021)
  • Engineering Georgia Top 100 Influential Women in Georgia (2019)
  • New Voice in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018)
  • Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine Rising Star in Structural Engineering (2017)
  • Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellow (2016)
  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow (2005–2008)
  • Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Travel Scholarship (2005)
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention (2004)
  • Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center Undergraduate Scholar (2002)
Publications
  1. Swinea, J., Sanborn, K., Weaver, M., LoRicco, M., Sinalek, A., Stewart, L.K. (2024). Enhanced Cross Laminated Timber (ECLT) for Ballistic Resistant Design. *International Journal of Impact Engineering*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2024.104931
  2. Swinea, J., Stynoski, P., Lessel, A., Wood, G., Stewart, L.K. (2023). Effect of Thermal Modification on the Ballistic Performance of Coastal Western Hemlock Cross-laminated Timber (CLT). *International Journal of Impact Engineering*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2023.104769
  3. Warren, M., Antoniou, A., Stewart, L.K. (2023). Factors in Shear Deformation Capacity Loss of High-Strength Bolts due to Singular and Consecutive Impacts. *Engineering Structures*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.116444
  4. Flores, N., Gentry, T.R., Stewart, L.K. (2022). Behavior and Damage Characterization of Impulsively Loaded Cross-Laminated Timber Panels. *Applied Sciences*. https://doi.org/10.3390/app122312076
  5. Warren, M., Antoniou, A., Stewart, L.K. (2022). A review of experimentation and computational modeling of dynamic bolt fracture. *Journal of Constructional Steel Research*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2022.107293
  6. Ji, K., Stewart, L.K., Arson, C. (2022). Molecular Dynamics Analysis of Silica/PMMA Interface Shear Behavior. *Polymers*. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14051039
  7. Ji, K., Wang, P., Gao, N., Stewart, L.K., Arson, C. (2021). Finite Element model of concrete repaired by High Molecular Weight Methacrylate (HMWM). *Engineering Structures*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.111860
  8. Sanborn, M., Stewart, L.K. (2020). Behavior of Slip-Critical Bolted Connections Subjected to Impulsive Loads. *International Journal of Impact Engineering*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2020.103501
  9. Sanborn, M., Loreto, G., Stewart, L.K. (2020). Method for evaluating impulsive shear and in situ residual capacity behavior of bolted components. *Engineering Structures*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110372
  10. Shin, J., Stewart, L.K., Scott, D. (2020). Multi-Hazard Assessment and Mitigation for Seismically-Deficient RC Building Frames using Artificial Neural Network Models. *Engineering Structures*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110204

In the News

A headshot of Lauren Stewart

Lauren Stewart Named ADVANCE Professor

Professor Lauren Stewart has been selected as the College of Engineering’s new ADVANCE Professor and will serve as the leading advocate for engineering faculty. She joins a group of leaders representing five other Georgia Tech colleges who create opportunities that support faculty achievement, collaboration, and professional growth. 

College of Engineering
Read more about Lauren Stewart Named ADVANCE Professor